Open house at 40 Mile Point Lighthouse

May 22, 2013

ROGERS TOWNSHIP - The 40 Mile Point Lighthouse Society's open house and arts and crafts show starts Saturday.

More than 30 artists from throughout Michigan are signed up to sell their handiworks at the society's ninth annual arts and crafts show, held on the lighthouse grounds, society Secretary Barb Stone said. The show runs from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and continues on Sunday at the same times. Vendors will sell everything from jewelry to woodwork, from hand-woven rugs to baked goods.

Visitors can snack on free coffee and cookies, and the Rogers City Kiwanis Club's fish shack will be selling sandwiches as well, Stone said.

The lighthouse, located seven miles northwest of Rogers City on US-23, also will be open throughout the weekend, starting Friday at 10 a.m., Stone said. Visitors can tour the museum and check out the tower. On the grounds, they can climb inside the restored pilot house of the Calcite, a freighter from the Bradley Transportation fleet. Part of the wreck of the Joseph S. Fay lies on Lake Huron's shore, a short walk from the lighthouse.

"We like to bring people in, and we kind of like to promote Rogers City, too," she said. "Of course, we like to push our lighthouse. It's a big part of the history of this area."

Society members will be raffling off an iPad to raise funds for the lighthouse, Stone said. They're constantly working to restore the historic structure, and it takes money and volunteers to keep it in good shape. They'll also raffle off a set of mugs and a small model of the lighthouse itself.

The Glawe schoolhouse, which sits on the lighthouse grounds, will be open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. over the weekend, Stone said. It's maintained by a separate group, and the one-room schoolhouse has been restored to look as it did when it was in use.